Papa Peacock
by cutekittenlady
Summary: When Gabriel Agreste took up the Peacock Miraculous to solve the mystery of his wife's disappearance he didn't think he'd have to deal with two hormonal super-powered teens. A choose your own adventure style fic.
1. Observations of a Peacock

Gabriel Agreste had been sure he had mentally prepared himself for everything he would have to face.

When he took that miraculous from his safe and pinned it into the inside of his shirt (no one would catch him wearing such a tacky thing) he was sure he could handle the dangers that were coming his way. The little fairy spirit thing had honestly surprised him but considering these trinkets were supposedly magic it was fitting.

The kwami itself had been impressed by Gabriels nerves. Or at the very least bemused.

"You could at least flinch. Maybe twitch a little?" The creature urged.

"Quiet." Gabriel commanded. He hadn't known much about the miraculous starting out. He had only managed to decipher a few pages from the book he had uncovered before it had disappeared from his safe.

The kwami were one of the few things he had managed to vaguely learn about. They were like little gods or spirits that provided powers to whomever possessed the jewelry they were tied to. It had seemed ridiculous at first.

He had just assumed it was some strange legend that was somehow tied to his wife's disappearance. Perhaps she had been taken by criminals or perhaps she had been forced into hiding. He didn't know. And he hated that.

Never in a million years had he thought the things written in the book were true. Some old Fairy Tales and nothing more.

But then Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up.

And they weren't Fairy Tales anymore.

For a short time he had been content with letting things play themselves out. He observed and did everything he could to keep his son as far away from these things as possible. But he soon realized it was a fruitless effort.

Whoever was behind these strange attacks could clearly strike wherever and whenever they wanted. The incident with Jackady had shown that not even his own home was entirely safe. And when the book of miraculous he had kept secret for so many years had disappeared from his safe, that had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

No one invaded his home and endangered his son.

No one.

It didn't take a genius to connect the dots and realize that his wife's family heirloom and the peacock miraculous were one in the same. After activating it Gabriel learned more about the miraculous over the course of a single hour than he had over the past three years.

What Gabriel proceeded to do next would have been considered illegal and even creepy under much more normal circumstances. And never in a million years would ha have ever dreamed of doing the same in his day to day life. But desperate times called for desperate measure.

He began to follow Ladybug and Chat Noir.

They would always appear at the scene of an akuma attack, so Gabriel had ample time to study their mannerisms and abilities from afar. This went on for some weeks, and Mr. Agreste got plenty of information.

Ladybug seemed to be the one in charge. She took the lead on most maneuvers and attacks, and her abilities seemed to be key to finishing off the enemy. He had been informed by the peacock kwami that Ladybug's miraculous gifted the user with the power of creation which the girl seemed to use effectively. She had brains, there was no doubt about that. Every time using seemingly innocuous items to defeat the enemy.

Chat Noir, on the other hand, seemed to mostly handle the grunt work. He was just as quick, agile, and strong as Ladybug if not more so. And his senses seemed to be quite sharp making it easier for him to react to sudden attacks from behind. His powers of destruction allowed him to destroy anything he touched. Gabriel was left wondering what would happen if he ever used the attack on a flesh and blood being and prayed he would never have to find out.

When left on their own they did appear to have exploitable weaknesses.

Ladybug didn't have Chat Noir's destructive capabilities or his heightened senses. She wasn't incapable of taking care of things on her own and, if pushed, could certainly do the job solo. However it was obvious that such occasions took a much greater toll on her and required her to take much greater risks where even a moment of hesitation could lead to failure.

Chat Noir's faults were more glaring. He didn't have the ability to revert civilians back to normal, nor could he repair damages done by Akuma attacks. Outside of that he was also reckless and, while not stupid, didn't have Ladybug's observational skills or quick wittedness. He could certainly handle damage control and in one on one combat against an akuma he lasted much longer than Ladybug. But that meant nothing if the direct threat couldn't be handled.

But together the two were nearly impossible to handle. Most enemies seemed to fail entirely because they focused too much on one or the other instead of the two together.

Eventually things came to the point where Gabriel decided it was time to confront the two superheroes.

He had determined that the book of miraculous had to have been taken by someone who knew of their existence.

He determined that the one who had taken it had to be Hawkmoth (motivations unknown but whom the book would be a valuable source of information), Ladybug and/or Chat Noir (possibly independently but more likely working in tandem), or some unknown third power he had yet to account for.

He also determined that his wife, before her disappearance, had been in possession of the peacock miraculous. It was too much to ask that it was merely a coincidence that she had possessed a magic artifact and then mysteriously disappeared.

Taking it all into account he could only conclude that his suspicions had been confirmed.

In some way, shape, or form the miraculous were connected to the disappearance of his wife. And if he wanted to find her he was going to need to get as much information about them as possible.

He could not rely on the kwami for this.

He did not doubt the truth of what the creature had told him about the miraculous, but he hardly thought that it had told him everything. Given the nature of the miraculous and their powers it seemed to be in the kwami's best interest to keep things back for as long as possible. Whether kwami were subservient to whoever owned their miraculous or if they were free to make their own decisions he did not know.

No, he would need to find the answers he wanted on his own.

And Ladybug and Chat Noir were the only starting points he could think of.

Approaching them should be easy enough. He himself was a miraculous holder, and one they had yet to meet. He had been observing them for some time and had determined their strengths and weaknesses so if things went downhill he would have the advantage in a fight. If they proved to be too much for him, he could simply retreat, detransform, and try a new angle. Yes, getting close should be easy.

Assuming he approached them separately.

If approached together their reactions would bounce off one another. If even one of them were cautious to his presence the other were immediately pick up on it and be on their guard also. And if things got out of hand he knew that at this stage he would not be able to handle the two together.

Ladybug and Chat Noir rarely separated in the midst of an akuma attack, so if Gabriel had any hope of pulling this off he would have to act while they were patrolling. It was the only time he knew of that the two separated and were on their own.

Only one question remained.

Who would he approach? Ladybug or Chat Noir?

* * *

 _((_

 ** _EDIT: VOTING ON THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER_**

 _Ladybug or Chat Noir?_

 _Message me here on or on my tumblr .com with your choice!_

 _For some explanation, this is going to be an AU wherein Gabriel Agreste is the Peacock Miraculous user using the powers of the peacock to solve the mystery of his wife's disappearance._

 _At the end of every chapter readers will be given two or more choices on which direction the story will go. Votes will be sent through via my tumblr and through fanfiction reviews. This will be working on a trust system, as I am counting on readers not to vote more than once._

 _On a side note I have yet to determine the name of the peacock kwami, so if you have any ideas and suggestions feel free to include them in your message._

 _))_


	2. Chat Noir

_Winner of vote:_ **Chat** **Noir**

* * *

Looking into the green eyes of his wife's portrait Gabriel deliberated his problem.

Between Ladybug and Chat Noir, which should he approach first?

Sitting down in his desk chair he leaned back and closed his eyes weighing his options.

On the one hand Ladybug clearly took charge of every situation. If he managed to win her over then Chat Noir would follow along obediently, saving him a world of effort.

There was just one problem.

Ladybug was clearly the more cautious of the two. If she were approached on her own, she would put up an unrelenting guard. A single meeting would not be enough to win her over. A dozen meetings may not be enough.

Chat Noir, meanwhile, was by far the most deadly in combat. If he determined that Gabriel was a threat to himself or his partner, he doubted he would hesitate to attack. And yet he was also far more open and trusting of strangers than Ladybug.

This worked both for and against the duo. On the one hand Chat Noir was far more willing to give difficult civilians a chance. (Including putting up Ms. Bourgeois. Something he thought only his son capable of doing.) But on the other, it made him very easy to deceive. Without Ladybug there to guide him he fell into traps easily.

Not stupid, but naive. An easily exploitable weakness.

Opening his eyes Gabriel smiled at the decision. While Chat Noir was more dangerous in a direct conflict, it would be easy enough to escape if things went downhill.

Standing he called in a hushed controlled voice, lest the whole household hear. "Come here."

Silence answered him.

He frowned disapprovingly at the lack of response.

"I said, come here."

"I'm sorry were you speaking to me?" A blue creature sat at the edge of his desk deliberately looking away from him. "I _do_ have a name. It's only polite for you to use it."

He narrowed his eyes at the infuriating creature.

By far the most frustrating part of taking up the miraculous was the troublesome creature who inhabited the trinket. It was a small blue bird-like creature with large eyes. It had a crest upon it's head along with four strand like tails tipped with peacock feathers.

Right now it's large bluish green eyes were looking at him expectantly. With a groan, the creature decided he'd have to remind Gabriel of its name, "Quinn. My name is Quinn."

Gabriel scowled. He didn't see why he should have to put up with this uppity untrustworthy little creature. Why couldn't Quinn be quiet and respectful?

Still he didn't dare risk getting on the creatures nerves. It was Quinn's magic that made his transformation possible after all. And he would need to utilize it if he was going to get the information he desired.

"Very well then." he grunted as he reached up and turned the collar of his shirt up. There the peacock miraculous lay hidden. "Transform me… Quinn."

* * *

Chat Noir took a prolonged deep breath, and exhaled slowly. The cool parisian air flowed in and out of his lungs sending chills down his spine.

God he loved being Chat Noir.

Walking along the edge of a roof the boy looked up at the moon dreamily. The twinkling lights of Paris were below him and the endless expanse of sky above him. He felt so unrestrained. So light hearted. So _free_.

The things that weighed him down in his day to day life almost seemed to all but disappear when he put on the mask. He knew that before dawn he would have to return to that lonely house and once again take on the role he put on every day. But on certain nights of the month he was free to roam around and just be himself for awhile.

There was a feeling of guilt that lingered over his heart at times. All the secrets he kept and the lies he told. Sometimes he would just stare off into space and wonder if what he did was really alright.

Of course then another innocent person would be akumatized and all his doubts flew out the window.

His role as Chat Noir was important. Paris needed him. Its people needed him. _She_ needed him. When held up against that responsibility, all falsehood became necessary.

 _Father wouldn't agree._ The thought crept itself into his mind as it always did. _He would say it's too dangerous. That it's not proper. That's why he can't ever know._

That was the real reason he guarded his secret so strongly. Chat, or rather Adrien, supposed that a more justified reason would be to keep his father and friends away from the danger that came with being Chat Noir. But whenever the reasons for his lies came to him, that wasn't the first reason that occurred.

He loved his father. He really did. And he always told himself that his father loved him. He had to. After all his father could never seem to express it himself.

 _He's just bad at it._ Adrien reminded himself constantly. _Without mom around, he just doesn't know how to express himself that's all._

How long had it been? Three years?

It had just been the two of them. Gabriel and Adrien. For three years.

Three very lonely, and very empty years.

His father had been distraught initially. Adrien could still remember how he stalked the missing person reports, how he hassled the police station for information, how agitated and short tempered he became.

And then somehow, quite suddenly, he seemed to emotionally shut down.

The stern but kind father he remembered became much colder. He went from strict to controlling. Burying himself in his work all interference suddenly became intolerable.

It was painful to watch.

Coming to the edge of the roof, Chat Noir took himself out of his thoughts just long enough to pole vault himself over the street below and onto the opposing roof. Landing neatly onto the tiles he retracted the poles and set it over his shoulder and once more began walking along the edge of the buildings.

He had hoped the exhilaration would have been enough to drive his thoughts out of his head but they still lingered.

After his mother disappeared Adrien himself had suffered greatly. There had been no one he could talk to about it. Any employees were burdened enough with their duties. He had no friends to speak of at the time. And his father….

Well his father had enough to deal with. He didn't want to burden him with his own problems.

So Adrien began doing everything he could to keep his father from being unduly burdened. When his father needed a model, Adrien had volunteered. He avoided making mistakes and did his best to avoid acting out.

The last thing his father deserved was to have Adrien making his problems his father's problems.

But eventually the strain became too much, and Adrien began to insist on going to public school. He tried to nudge his father gently, and then he began to insist. Eventually he took the enormous risk of running there himself.

Of course his father had not approved of _that_ at all.

Then Adrien became Chat Noir. And everything changed.

He met Plagg and became a superhero. He'd been clumsy at first, but the idea of a new exhilarating window of release for all his pent up energy had kept him going. And then he met HER.

Ladybug.

His good luck charm.

Becoming Chat Noir may have made him happy, but it was only after meeting Ladybug that his fortune began to change.

He managed to make it to school on the second day. Things hadn't gone right at first. Nino had taken an initial dislike to him, and Marinette, thanks in major part to Chloe, hated him at first too.

After his second outing with Ladybug his luck got even better.

Nino warmed up to him, and he managed to make up with Marinette. And things just kept getting better and better. His other classmates warmed up to him quickly, and now he had gone from no friends to many.

His lady's good luck had rubbed off on him.

He just wished some of that good luck could improve his relationship with his father.

Sighing Chat stopped. He really needed to stop letting his personal thoughts sneak up on him while he was on patrol. If Ladybug caught him daydreaming, she would surely get irritated with him. And the mere idea of bothering his lady was enough to make the cat focus on moving forward.

The makeshift belt tail swished and twitched every which way as he concentrated on his surroundings and set his senses on alert. So far nothing had happened. But that didn't mean nothing would.

Chat's right cat ear twitched. A sound.

He stopped suddenly as he strained his hearing and listened. It was the sound of something moving across the tiles of the roof.

A cat? No. The sound was too loud. Whatever it was was too heavy.

The boy stiffened and became alert. His green eyes narrowing and adjusting to the dark. His ears swiveled trying to locate the source of the sound.

The sound was getting closer. Approaching quickly. But from where? Where?!

Gripping his baton Chat readied himself in case a fight ensued, or in case he needed to alert Ladybug to an attack.

And then, quite suddenly, the sound just stopped.

His cat ears went straight up in surprise. Glancing around himself, Chat saw nothing approaching.

Blinking to himself, he wondered if he had imagined the noise.

Backing up, Chat turned to continue his patrol when there was a flurried sort of sound. As though some giant bird were ruffling its feathers.

And then, unexpectedly and as if from nowhere in a flurry of green and blue. A man landed on the roof in front of the cat. Towering over him.

For a moment, just a moment, Chat Noir was petrified.

The figure before him was easily a head or two taller than himself. He glanced upward and was met with a set of icy blue eyes staring out through a beaked masquerade mask. The blue orbs almost seem to glow under the shade of a wide brimmed plumed hat that blocked the moonlight.

Swallowing, the young hero backed away. Gripping his baton he stiffened his muscles and readied himself. Waiting for the other to make his intentions known.

The large bird man (it was the only way Chat could think of to describe him), stood stoically with his arms crossed as his eyes darted over the others physique. Summing him up.

Finally the stranger moved.

Chat jerked back, prepared to block an attack from whatever direction it may come.

But his shoulders slacked somewhat as the man fingered the brim of his hat. Then, with one graceful movement, he bowed. Words flowed from his mouth in a regal and gentle tone, "Bonsoir, Chat Noir."

The black cat's mouth fell open at the display. His eyes darting over the man, unsure of what to make of the gesture.

How was he supposed to respond?

* * *

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER HAS ENDED

 _For those who may not know Bonsoir = Good Evening in french._

 _I took french in high school, but I'm rusty. Maybe this series will motivate me to freshen up my french XD_

 _This time around I've set up a poll on my profile for all my readers to vote on to decide where the story should go. I figured this way, the result would be more of a surprise!_

 _Please feel free to review, and tell me your thoughts on the story so far. If you wish to share how you vote, feel free to do so!_

 _Thank you for reading!_


	3. The Bird and the Cat

**Winner of Poll: Option C**

 _(( I mentioned at the end of last chapter that here on out I am going to decide on the course of the story via a poll instead of taking votes in reviews._

 _I am doing this for a couple of reasons._

 _For one, I think it would make the results each week more exciting. If we continue to count the votes via reviews then everybody who took a look at the reviews before the end of the voting period would know the result. And that's not really any fun._

 _Secondly, I'd rather reserve reviews for opinions about the story and readers thoughts on my writing, ideas on where the story may go, as well as just general comments referring to the options listed at the end of each chapter._

 _For these reasons, I made a poll to decide which option would win and Option C won with a total of 4 votes. However only 9 people voted on the poll._

 _Because I left a message at the bottom of the author's comments in chapter 2 informing readers of the change, I did not count the votes in the reviews. I apologize to everyone whom this may inconvenience and who may have missed the message somehow._

 _So this time I am putting the message at the top of the story, to make sure everyone see's the news and is able to vote accordingly._

 _In order to vote on the outcome of the next chapter, please go to my fanfiction profile and click the link that reads "vote now" at the top of hte page to make your decision._

 _Thank you. ))_

* * *

Gabriel straightened from the, admittedly showy, bow.

The act was over the top, but given what he had observed of Chat Noir's own behavior it had seemed the best way to approach the other. Even if the gentlemanly behavior was a show on the cat's part, the undeniably amicable greeting would certainly give the superhero pause to think.

The result was to his liking.

Chat Noir didn't retreat any further. He didn't run. And more importantly, he didn't attack.

The cat's eyes darted all over him in an effort of understanding. His lips in a stiff line, Chat Noir said nothing. Clearly he was waiting for Gabriel to continue.

Smiling the other carried on. "It is a lovely evening is it not?" he casually gestured up to the cloudless sky and the clear view of the moon. "Perfect for a late night stroll."

The casual subject seemed to confuse Chat Noir further. The tenseness of his shoulders was noticeably disappearing though it was clear he wasn't completely relaxed. Yet.

"Is something the matter Chat Noir?" he smiled as he watched the leather clad hero blink at the mention of his name. "Cat got your tongue?"

The other finally seemed to get ahold of himself and responded, "Just a _meowment_ , do you have a name?"

 _Oh my god, was that a cat pun?_ Gabriel thought. He allowed himself to smile.

"All things considered," he answered. "You may call me… Paon Royale."

Royal Peacock. Not the best name, but it had been the best Gabriel could think up on short notice.

"I apologize for this most sudden of meetings. But you see, I am happy to finally meet _somebirdy_ with the same nightly hobby as myself."

Chat Noir smirked, apparently amused at Royale's light-hearted pun.

" _Cats_ not a problem~" The catboy was clearly enjoying this. "It's always _swanderful_ to find a _bird of a feather_."

The two went back and forth for several minutes. Bird and cat puns flew through the night, much to the annoyance of every unfortunate creature that happened to be passing by.

Despite the genial atmosphere, Chat made a point of not telling the stranger anything of note about himself for Ladybug. Royale was funny enough, but he had yet to tell Chat anything about himself outside of his name.

"In all seriousness though, hoo are you?" Sadly the leather clad hero could not resist one last pun. "And what is it that you want from me?"

This was it. The moment of truth.

Paon Royale steeled himself for the inevitable. "I am a miraculous user. Much like yourself."

Chat's eye's widened. The stiff guarded shoulders returned. "Really now? Which one?"

Craning his neck to the side, Peon fingered the collar of his shirt where the peacock pin sat.

"I hold the peacock pin." he explained. "And you…" His eyes moved to Chat's right hand where his miraculous lay on ring finger, "hold the black cats ring. Am I correct?"

"How do you know that?" he sounded bewildered.

Royale smiled, "The same way you do no doubt. Though I think I have considerably more experience than you."

"You're that much of an old bird?" Chat asked rather crudely.

Paon's brow twitched at the rudeness, but carried on as though it hadn't affected him. "I'd have to say that I am likely at least ten years older than you."

Chat chuckled, "Sorry, but I don't think I can buy that you're 25."

The look on Chat Noir's face suddenly changed as his ears twitched and he glanced away from the peacock. His attention being diverted by some new arrival. Gabriel didn't need to guess the identity of the approaching figure.

Ladybug.

That meant it was his time to leave.

"I fear I must now bid you adieu." Paon tipped his hat to Chat Noir before turning, and getting a running start, leapt from the roof.

* * *

Chat Noir watched in horror as he watched the man leap from the edge of the roof. He ran over, ready to dive off and catch the bird-brain. But as he reached the edge he saw Paon Royale land upon the roof of the adjacent building.

The bird man smiled at him from afar and held up a large feathered fan in farewell. Before leaping once more from the roof and, using the oversize fan as some kind of hang-glider, disappeared from sight.

He would have stood there stupefied for much longer than he did, had a familiar voice not brought him down to reality.

"Chat Noir!"

Turning around, Chat saw Ladybug rushing towards him. With what he hoped was a look of concern.

When she finally reached him however, her face had taken on a serious look. Looking over his shoulder to the opposing roof she suddenly asked, "Who was that?"

Chat Noir opened his mouth to respond but seemed to stumble in his explanation. "Well, my ladybug, it's kind of a long story."

"I was gone for an hour. Tops. It can't be that long of a story." She demanded.

He blinked. Ladybug wasn't usually so short with him.

Chalking her seriousness up to concern, Chat Noir explained his meeting with Paon Royale.

"And you believed him?!"

"I never said that!" he defended. "I'm just telling you what he told me."

Ladybug grunted in frustration and seemed to absorb herself in thought.

Biting his lower lip he hazarded a question, "Are you alright?"

She glared at him irritably, but stopped when Chat flinched in what she could only interpret as fear.

Taking a deep breath Ladybug sighed, "I-I'm fine Chat it's just… Why didn't you come to me or call me the second that guy showed up?"

Chat gave her a confused look. "He wasn't attacking me or causing any trouble. I didn't want to call you until I was sure what he was up to."

"And what would you have done if he was just waiting for you to let your guard down so he could attack you?" she demanded. "I-If something had happened and I wasn't aware of it…"

She stopped as she noticed the grin spreading across Chat Noir's face.

"You were worried about me, is that it?"

Ladybug couldn't help the embarrassed blush that spread across her cheeks. "S-so what? Why shouldn't I worry about you? Besides," her voice became serious once more. "Remember Volpina?"

Dropping the smile, Chat nodded. He was beginning to catch on what Ladybug meant.

"I wouldn't put it past hawkmoth to pull something like that again. And if we aren't careful…"

"Yes. I know." Grabbing her shoulders firmly Chat Noir looked into her eyes reassuringly. "I understand now. I'm sorry I didn't call you."

The anxiousness finally seemed to disappear from her eyes. Sighing she reached up and cupped Chat Noir's face. "Just be careful okay? If you see him again, call me immediately."

She looked in the direction that Paon had taken off in, "It's too late to go after him now. And it'll be morning in a few hours. We'll both head home for today. But keep your eyes and ears open. If anything comes up-"

"I'll call you." Chat reassured. "I promise."

She smiled at him. Chat's promises were as good as a guarantee.

Removing her hands from his face she went on. "In the meantime I'm going to try and find out more about this Paon Royale. If he's for real, which I'm not for a moment believing, than I should be able to learn something about him."

Looking at Chat she asked, "He said he had the peacock miraculous right?"

"Had the bird puns to match."

Ladybug shivered at the thought of having another pun maker in her presence. She prayed Chat was exaggerating. "Did he say anything else? Anything you found strange."

"Well he claimed he was at least ten years older than me. But, well, I don't buy it."

"Why's that?"

"Because," here Chat gave her a bemused look. "The guy looked old enough to be my dad."

* * *

Climbing in through his office window, Gabriel closed the curtains and immediately de-transformed.

Quinn floated away and landed on the edge of a bowl of sunflower seeds as Gabriel stiffly sat in his desk chair and stared into the darkness.

"Well that went more or less alright. Probably could've gotten further if Ladybug hadn't showed up just then." Quinn nibbled on a particularly stubborn seed.

Gabriel didn't reply.

"Next time you'll want to be careful. Ladybug will likely put Chat Noir back on his guard. But at least you have some ground to stand on now."

Still no reply.

Quinn groaned. "You know I'm _trying_ to be helpful here."

Gabriel finally took a deep shaky breath. "Quinn."

The peacock kwami blinked. Gabriel's tone was nervy. He had never heard the stern man's voice falter once in the short time he had known him.

Looking back at the middle-aged gentleman, he saw that Gabriel was staring wide-eyed into space. Absorbed in some personal inner battle.

"What the matter?"

"I've… learned something new." Gabriel answered stiffly.

"Well that's a good thing right?"

Unexpectedly he replied, "No. No it makes everything much more difficult."

Quinn floated over and looked concerned.

"When I told him… When I told him I was at least ten years older than him… He thought I was claiming to be 25…"

"And what does that tell you."

Gabriel looked at him seriously. "It tells me something terrifying."

"Ugh! Stop beating around the bush and tell me! What have you found out?! I can't spot everything when I'm in the miraculous you know!" Quinn demanded. All this buildup was getting on his nerves.

Gabriel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Chat Noir..." he began.

Quinn leaned forward anxiously.

"Chat Noir…" Gabriel breathed. "Is a teenager."

Quinn collapsed onto the desk.

* * *

 **VOTING ON THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER**

* * *

 _((Hope you enjoyed this most recent chapter of Papa Peacock!_

 _I wasn't sure what kind of food Quinn would eat to regain his energy. I chose sunflower seeds for now but that doesn't quite satisfy me atm._

 _If any you readers have any ideas of alternatives, please feel free to mention._

 _Thanks for reading, and please review!))_


	4. Quinn

**Winner: Quinn**

* * *

Quinn knew he really had very little to complain about.

His Miraculous wasn't sitting in some dingy bin somewhere, the holder who had come across him wasn't incompetent or using him for any really evil purposes, and he didn't suffer a lack of purpose.

But still, when left to his own inner devices Quinn couldn't help but complain.

What about?

Gabriel that-gosh-darn-stick-up-his-butt Agreste.

From the get go there seemed very little about Gabriel Agreste that he could really complain about.

Oh sure the man wasn't social and was even a little cold but he wasn't _bad_. In fact, Quinn was convinced he could actually be a very warm person on the few occasions he let his guard down. Which almost never happened, but still.

And he was intelligent too. The man could analyze people like no one's business.

Quinn had told him nothing about the other miraculous outside of his own and what little Gabriel had managed to pick up from the book. And yet, through observing Ladybug and Chat Noir he managed to make some shockingly accurate conclusions on their abilities and team dynamic.

The man also had the nerves of a rock. The peacock kwami had been quite surprised that the man hadn't freaked out more when he emerged from the miraculous. There was a slight widening of the eyes, but nothing more.

People had activated his miraculous with prior knowledge far surpassing Gabriel's in the past and they had all freaked out from some combination of surprise, awe, or simply weak mental fortitude.

He was also, clearly, capable of a great deal of loyalty and love. His dedication to finding his missing wife proved that. Never once had Quinn doubted that finding out what happened to her was his holder's true motive for everything he was doing now.

Really, the man was a very impressive specimen.

But the few drawbacks Gabriel Agreste had were glaring and, in Quinn's own summation, absolutely irritating.

For starters, the man treated the kwami's presence like some negative symptom that came with the powers instead of a benefit.

He only bothered to feed him, call him by name, and confide in him his thoughts for the simple reasons that A) if he wanted the peacock miraculous powers Quinn had to stay energized, B) Quinn would refuse to listen to him unless he called him by name, and C) there was simply no one else Gabriel could talk to about his mission.

Beyond that, he couldn't really say that the two were anything remotely like friends.

Not that that bothered Quinn particularly. The relationship between kwami and their holders was often professional. Intimate relationships weren't uncommon or discouraged, but to get the job done all the two needed to do was work together. It was unreasonable to expect every user of the miraculous to be a one-hundred percent match to their kwami.

Another problem he had with his current user was the clear fact that Gabriel was… he didn't want to say selfish but the word fit. It wasn't a greedy sort of selfish or a hateful sort of selfish, but more of a narrow-minded sort of selfish.

The idea of using the peacock miraculous to help Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat Hawkmoth had never once crossed his mind. His focus was entirely on the self-appointed goal of finding his wife and that was all that mattered.

The things that mattered to him, the really important things, were part of a very very short list. And the great good was not a part of that.

Quinn was quite convinced that all of Paris could be destroyed and Gabriel Agreste would never blink an eye so long as he got his wife back and his son was safe.

Speaking of his _kid_ …

The peacock wanted to slam his head against a wall every time he thought about the relationship between Gabriel and his son.

He himself had never actually SEEN the kid in person, and Gabriel avoided talking about him to Quinn whenever humanly possible. But what little he could gleam from having to hide in Gabe's office all day was not reassuring.

Gabriel loved and took pride in his son. There no doubt in that. The pictures he kept of the boy plastered in his office was proof. He tried to pass it off as a simple work venture, but Quinn could see through that like polished glass.

But as far as his capabilities as a parent went, he was rather sub par.

Quinn had yet to even see Adrien and that, to him, was indicative of a problem.

Gabriel seemed to find nothing wrong with the fact that he never even saw his son most days. He knew where he was and that was enough.

But you didn't get to hang around for over five thousand years and NOT figure out how to recognize unhealthy human interactions.

From what he could pick up, Adrien was a well-behaved, obedient, and intelligent boy. And in the weeks, he had been in the mansion he had never caused any disturbances or problems.

And _that_ was a problem.

Even after thousands of years people never truly changed. Old women were old women, young dreamy-eyed girls were always young dreamy-eyed girls, and even the kindest most well behaved teenage boys clashed with their parents as they grew up and gained independence.

He wouldn't have a problem with it so much if he could catch the two arguing a little more. A slight word to one another in the mornings. Anything to indicate that the two knew something about one another that wasn't obvious to the casual observer.

But the most infuriating thing about the whole situation was how Gabriel himself couldn't seem to see anything _wrong_ with it.

Adrien was his son. He ensured that he was looked after, healthy, educated, had no want of anything and was _safe_. Those seemed to be the things that Gabriel prioritized as a parent. And while Quinn couldn't complain about the fact that the boy was looked after, he **could** complain about the fact that Gabriel was blind to the importance of personal interaction.

He had tried to hint as much to his user but was shot down almost instantly.

"I know what is in the best interest of **my** son. Not _you_." he had spat it out angrily and then made a point to leave Quinn alone in the room.

Ah, yes that was the other thing about Gabriel that infuriated Quinn.

The man was so set in his ways that any suggestion that he might be wrong about something was quickly shoved to the side and disregarded.

All of these things were aspects of Gabriel that infuriated the Kwami from a day to day basis.

But on this particular occasion, there was one thing that somehow managed to surpass everything else. If only temporarily.

"That's it?! All that dramatic build up and for what?" Quinn demanded feeling cheated. "The fact that Chat Noir MIGHT be 15?! I thought you were going to say something significant!"

Gabriel stared at him with the most confused stupefied look on his face, "What do you mean this isn't significant?" he rose from his seat. "Are you trying to tell me that you do not find the fact that one of the two most powerful miraculous is in the hand of a… of a mere boy?!"

"Of course not! I mean it's not like this hasn't happened before."

Gabriel was suddenly looming over him, a very serious look on his face. "Explain. Now."

"You could try saying please."

"Quinn!" Gabe slammed his fist on the desk, his nerves reaching a fever pitch.

Rolling his eyes and sighing the kwami floated up and began to explain, "The miraculous can get into people's hands one of three ways. They can be found, they can be stolen, or they can be given. You got mine the first way, Hawkmoth presumably got his the second, and if I had to hazard a guess Ladybug and Chat Noir were probably _chosen_ to wield theirs."

"Chosen?! Why would anyone choose children?!"

Quinn was thankful that he hadn't bothered to ask who did the choosing.

Shrugging the kwami replied, "There's no real restriction on who can be given the miraculous so long as they meet whatever the criteria for each miraculous may be. Age, gender, social status? It all goes out the window when choosing a wielder. So long as they are determined to have the physical, mental, emotional, and moral fortitude needed to properly use the powers the wielder can be anyone."

He then added, "Of course users of certain miraculous often share many of the same traits with previous holders. So people who exhibit many of the same traits as previous successful users are often chosen."

Gabriel collapsed back into his chair. He slouched down resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together, deep in thought.

Quinn let him sit in silence for awhile. More questions would be coming, he knew that. He had deliberately kept back certain things about the miraculous from Gabriel. But if Gabriel asked the right questions he would have to answer.

Finally, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes in thought and asked, "What kinds of traits are considered preferably when choosing a Ladybug or Chat Noir?"

He thought that question would be coming.

As always Gabriel was focused on his current goal. And right now he wanted to get closer to Ladybug and Chat Noir. Knowing what kind of traits were preferred in their holders may help him get closer to the two.

Quinn sat quietly thinking for a moment before he began again. "Well, I don't do the choosing so I can't say for certain. But in my experience, people who are chosen to own a miraculous are nearly always brave, self-sacrificing individuals with a desire to do good for people." He shrugged at the obviousness of that statement. "Now I dunno how long it's been since the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculous were last active so I can't say for sure if this reasoning still holds up in today's world…"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh don't look at me like that. You humans are always changing your ways. Your social customs, and what you think is right or wrong can change on a dime. That's really the difficult thing with deciding who deserves to wield a miraculous. One generation of people may hold one set of traits admirable while the next can be completely different. It's a headache keeping track, I tell ya. Now where was I?"

"The traits considered when deciding the wielders of the Ladybug and Cat miraculous." Gabriel reminded.

"Oh right. Well, Ladybugs are usually level-headed and clever. The power of creation demands a person with a quick wit and a unique imagination. Otherwise, the powers would go to waste. They're also usually natural leaders, but not always."

It was clear that his user was paying very close attention as he quickly asked, "And Chat Noir?"

"Chat Noir's… a little less consistent." the kwami admitted. "It often depends on the state of the world at the time. But considering what the world is like today I'd say that our Chat Noir must be a loyal, reasonable, and level-headed kind of guy. But most importantly," Quinn said importantly. "Chat Noir MUST be kind."

Gabriel raised his eyebrows at the emphasis. "Whatever for?"

"It's imperative to making sure the cat miraculous is less likely to be abused. Ladybug's powers can be abused too but if the person in question doesn't have the intelligence to apply the things their powers create to the situation then it's useless. But the power of destruction doesn't have this limitation. If applied liberally, it can wreak havoc on humanity. That's why when choosing a Chat Noir, they look for kind-hearted conscientious people who think of others over themselves. Giving the power to destroy anything you touch to a selfish hot-head is just asking for trouble."

"I see. And so these traits would be possessed by anyone holding the miraculous?"

"Hey, I'm not guaranteeing anything," Quinn warned. "That's just the general impression I've gotten after literally thousands of years of experience. Take it or leave it."

Getting up, Gabriel opened the curtains to his office's window and looked out at the moon. Likely digesting what Quinn had just told him.

Once more slipping into his bowl of sunflower seeds, Quinn hoped Gabriel wouldn't think to ask what kind of traits were expected of a peacock miraculous holder.

Because he wasn't sure he would like the answer.

* * *

 **VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER HAS ENDED**

* * *

 _((Because I work early Monday morning I decided to go ahead and post this chapter two whole days early!_

 _So you, my beloved readers, get more time to vote on your choice for next weeks chapter!_

 _This time you get to vote for up to TWO OPTIONS_

 _I hope you use this new option well!_

 _Thanks for reading and please leave a review! ))_


	5. Reflections of a Ladybug

**Winner: Option B "Discuss it with Tikki"**

* * *

Marinette was terrified.

It was a hard thing to admit even to herself. But it was the truth.

Her mind kept replaying the scene in her mind.

Volpina atop the Eiffel Tower. Her and Chat looking up at her as she dangled Adrien over the side. Even if it hadn't been the real Adrien and only an illusion, the situation had made her realize just how dangerous her and Chat Noir's jobs were. And just how unscrupulous of a man Hawkmoth truly was.

The akuma were already dangerous but Volpina had been a whole different game with a different set of rules.

She hadn't fought the two superheroes directly. She had manipulated them. Made Marinette see things that weren't really there. Made her face off against threats that didn't actually exist.

Her illusions had played games with Ladybug's mind and heart.

Fingering her miraculous she still remembered with shame how she had nearly given up her earrings. If it weren't for Chat Noir, she would have done so. And that would have been the end of things.

Chat couldn't purify akuma. Although a reliable partner and a skilled fighter, he couldn't stop Hawkmoth on his own. He needed Ladybug.

And Volpina had reminded her of just how much she needed him.

She had already known that she needed Chat's help to defeat and purify akuma, but she hadn't realized how much she relied on him for other things as well.

In an odd sort of way Chat Noir kept her grounded. He kept her emotions from taking over her judgement. When she thought back she could recount so many times he had kept her grounded.

That first fight with stoneheart when he had encouraged her. When he had scolded her about leaving Chloe behind during the whole Evillistrator fiasco, and again after they had defeated the Vanisher.

And of course it had been him who had known that Volpina's Adrien was an illusion. If Ladybug had just listened to him the first time around it may have saved her a lot of heartache. Though really, it was a very convincing illusion and Adrien really had disappeared. (She still had no explanation for that.)

It was strange how she had never noticed it before. Likely because it wasn't something Chat Noir did on purpose. It wasn't like how he constantly distracted Akuma, or cleared away rubble, or supported her in a battle. Those were all things that came with his powers.

But the way he supported her and kept her from acting out wasn't related to being Chat Noir. It was all him. His personality. The same personality that made those bad puns and flirted with her constantly had also been the one that called her out when she did something wrong or when she was being too down on herself.

Chat Noir needed Ladybug. But Marinette was convinced that Ladybug need Chat Noir more.

And that was why the appearance of this stranger scared her so much.

He hadn't approached Ladybug. Which, if he was an enemy, would be the obvious choice at first given her ability to purify akuma and fix damages. On the surface it seemed obvious that getting Ladybug out of the way first would be the easiest way to get what Hawkmoth or any villain wanted. Mainly the miraculous.

But he hadn't approached Ladybug.

Royal Peacock, or whatever he called himself, had singled out Chat Noir. Not her.

And that terrified her. Because she wouldn't last long with Chat.

Certainly she had defeated an akuma by herself before, but those times were not the easiest. And Marinette was sure that if Chat Noir were ever taken from Ladybug, she wouldn't last long. The physical, mental, and emotional strain would become too much.

She'd crumble to pieces in a matter of months, no, weeks. Maybe even days.

There were other things that scared her too. If Paon Royale proved to be another akuma like Volpina, then at the very least she knew how to take him down.

Find the possessed object, destroy it, purify the akuma, and then fix everything with her miraculous healing wave. Same as all her other enemies.

But if he was a real miraculous user, if the peacock pin was real, then Marinette wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

How did a miraculous user defeat a miraculous user?

Take their miraculous of course.

If Paon Royale was the real deal, and he was an enemy, then he would undoubtedly try and take their miraculous. She doubted he would go down the exact same route as Volpina, but he may be trying the same method.

But whereas Volpina had faced both she and Chat Noir, the peacock knew to face them one at a time. Hence why he had singled out Chat.

Marinette was thankful nothing had gone wrong. Her partner hadn't been hurt, or endangered in anyway. But he had let his guard down, and that was something that Ladybug had made sure to set straight right away.

It was strange how their relationship had changed out this past year.

At first they were just partners. They were still partners. But at the same time there was something more.

At first the lame puns had annoyed Ladybug to no end, but somehow the humor had grown on her. From time to time she had even taken to making a few of her own. She now laughed more than she scowled.

Chat had also proved to have his own sense of insight. There were times when he realized things before Ladybug. Or times when he came up with ideas that worked. Even when stripped of his powers he proved to be an excellent help.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were no longer just partners. They were friends. Best friends.

Marinette knew now that she could trust Chat Noir. He had done more than enough to earn that trust.

Paon Royale had not.

The danger Volpina had presented, and her recognition of just how valuable Chat Noir was to her had, perhaps, put her on edge. But she had to remain on the safe side. And that meant seeing Paon Royale as a threat until proven otherwise.

"Marinette?"

Tikki's voice brought Marinette out of her self reflections.

The red kwami looked up at her with a worried look in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

Marinette took a deep breath.

"I… I don't know Tikki." She confessed. "I'm not sure how to deal with this."

Glancing at Tikki Marinette pulled herself together and asked, "Tikki? Is there a peacock miraculous?"

Tikki was silent for a moment, apparently trying to decide what to say.

Marinette waited patiently for her kwami's response.

Finally Tikki spoke, with a sigh. "I think… you might be ready to have a talk about that. Yes, there is a peacock miraculous."

"Does… Does Mr. Fu have it?" she asked cautiously.

* * *

 _Her meeting with Master Fu had been an interesting one. He had told her the full story about the miraculous. How they were these ancient magical stones that had existed for thousands of years. How many heroes before herself and Chat had used their powers to defend humanity from supernatural danger._

 _And he had told her the true point of their mission._

 _Hawkmoth had a miraculous. She had known that. What she hadn't known was that Ladybug and Chat Noir did not just have to keep Hawkmoth from harming Paris and taking their miraculous. But somehow some way they had to find a way to take the butterfly brooch from Hawkmoth and free the kwami he had forced under his control._

 _Marinette's heart went out to the poor thing._

 _She imagined Tikki being in the grip of a cruel man like Hawkmoth, and her stomach churned in disgust. That wouldn't happen. Marinette would make sure it didn't._

 _Fu had also introduced Marinette to Wayzz, another kwami much like Tikki. He looked after the turtle bracelet, like how Tikki looked after the earrings._

 _And it was this way that she had learned there were other miraculous outside of her own, Chat's and Hawkmoths. Exactly how many there were, Fu wouldn't tell. It seemed like it was a secret that he needed to keep._

 _Much like how Tikki had judged when she was ready to meet Master Fu, she would also judge when it was right to tell Marinette about any of the other miraculous._

 _All this new information had made her head spin. But when asked if she had any questions, she could think of only one._

" _Does… Does Chat Noir… know about any of this?"_

 _Much to surprise Master Fu had shaken his head. "He has not come here as of yet."_

" _But doesn't he… I-I mean wouldn't it be easier for me to tell him?"_

" _I'm afraid that I must ask you to not tell him."_

" _What? B-But why? Chat's trustworthy! He wouldn't-" she shut her mouth when she realized she was making a rather rude outburst. "I-I'm sorry… but why?"_

" _It can take time before one is ready to take the next step. Tikki decided you were ready. If Chat Noir's kwami has not decided to bring him here, then he likely does not yet believe him ready to handle the information." Fu explained. "I have no doubt that one day soon he will be ready. But he must reach that point on his own. You can not help him."_

 _As Marinette had sat uncomfortably on the mat with a look of self apprehension on her face, Fu had smiled kindly at her and added, "But you can assist him in other ways. He is clearly quite fond of you. Just continue being there for him, and I am certain that before long he will be able to move past whatever is holding him back."_

* * *

After that meeting Marinette and Tikki hadn't talked much about the other miraculous or Fu.

It was a subject that seemed pointless to bring up. That is until now.

"No." Tikki replied quietly. "The peacock was… a mistake."

Marinette blinked. "What do you mean 'a mistake'?"

Tikki looked unsure of whether or not she should speak.

Not wanting to make this any harder on her friend than it already was, Marinette cut in, "Never mind. Is it possible that this Paon Royale is the real deal?"

Tikki scrunched up her face. "It's… hard to tell. The more miraculous that are active the more difficult it is to sense when they are active. Wayzz has been active for some time so it's easy for me to feel him, Nooroo's miraculous has been corrupted so it's hard not to notice him, and of course," she smiled. "Since Chat Noir is around I know that Plagg is awake too."

"So, Plagg is Chat's kwami? O-Or am I not supposed to ask that?"

Tikki giggled. "It's alright. Yes, Plagg is the kwami who guides Chat Noir. He's kind of a trickster and is kind of curious. But he's also lazy and kind of single minded."

"That… sounds about right." Marinette smiled as she imagined someone like Chat hanging out with a kwami who acted as Tikki described. "For Chat Noir I mean. I think they'd get along."

Her own kwami smiled. "Yes. Plagg gets along pretty well with most of his charges I think, not like…" Tikki suddenly stopped. After a moment she finished. "Not like Quinn."

Marinette let a few moments pass before she asked. "Who's Quinn? Is he-?"

Tikki nodded, "Yes, Quinn is the kwami who inhabits the peacock miraculous."

They were back on the main subject.

"So?" Marinette asked. "If Fu doesn't have the peacock miraculous, does that mean that the Royal Peacocks miraculous is real?"

Tikki sighed. "I… can't tell. If you could get close to him as Ladybug, I would be able to tell you for sure.

"I see…" she pulled her knees to her chest and stared out the window.

A part of her wanted to go ask Fu about the peacock miraculous, but the old man had told her to come to him only when absolutely necessary.

Hawkmoth was after the miraculous, and if he ever managed to figure out either her or Chat Noir's identities frequent visits to Fu might tip him off to the location of all the other miraculous.

Marinette was Ladybug. Defending Paris and defeating Hawkmoth was her job. That meant that figuring things out was her responsibility too.

"There's something else bothering you isn't there?" Tikki asked.

Marinette closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes." she admitted. "I'm worried about Chat Noir. What if the peacock is an enemy? What if he gets Chat Noir alone again? I know he promised he would call me if he ever sees him again, but even if he does, what if I don't get there in time?"

"You can't think about these things before they happen Marinette." Tikki soothed. "You warned him to be more careful next time. That's all you really can do."

"I know. But I can't help it." Leaning her head against her knees she hugged her legs closer to her chest. "I… I need him Tikki. I can't do this on my own."

"And he needs _you_." Tikki flew over and descended gently onto Marinette's shoulder. Hugging her cheek. "It'll be alright Marinette. Chat Noir will be okay. The two of you can beat anything when you're together. You're a team, right?"

Smiling, Marinette placed a gentle hand over her kwami as an awkward way of returning the tiny creatures hug.

"Yes." she agreed. "An unstoppable team."

* * *

 **Next week our focus remains on Marinette! She knows just a bit more about the miraculous now and where she stands.**

 **VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER**


	6. Lies and Decisions

**Winner: Option A "Hunt for Paon Royale"**

* * *

The next three days passed by Marinette in a blur.

Every few moments her mind drifted back to Paon Royale and what she should do about him. Just letting things play out didn't sit well with her.

There was no telling what might happen. Every hour she spent doing nothing was more time the peacock had to do… something. Exactly what it was he MIGHT do she had no idea. But she didn't want to risk Paris (or Chat Noir) by being too cautious.

Then she had considered researching the peacock miraculous herself. Only to then realize that she had no idea how she would go about doing that.

It wasn't like she could punch "magic peacock jewelry" into google and get all the information she needed.

All these thoughts and more occupied so much of Marinette's attention, that it began to affect her day to day life.

No matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to concentrate on the things she should. As a result, her clumsiness had worsened. Which only caused her family and friends to worry about her.

Just that morning her mother had asked if she was feeling well, and had suggested she stay home. Then when she got to school, Ms. Bustier had asked her if she needed to go to the nurse's office. Alya sent her concerned looks all day. And worse at the very end of the day she had actually tripped down the school's front stairs.

Straight into Adrien Agreste.

Sending them both toppling over.

Right on top of one another.

She would have screamed if her voice wasn't drowning in embarrassment within her own throat.

Scrambling off of the love of her life Marinette struggled to speak, "OhgoshI'msososorry!" Okay, maybe that was too fast. "I-I mean I was just thonking, I mean thinking! A-and I wasn't looking for you, I mean I didn't not see you, I MEAN-"

Thankfully Adrien didn't seem to be hurt by the fall or bothered by her ceaseless senseless babbling.

"It's alright. I wasn't really paying attention myself." Taking Marinette's hand into his own, he slowly got back to his feet pulling the clumsy girl along with him. "You alright?"

Unfortunately, Marinette's mind had gone to a place where no human voice could reach her. She stood there with an absolutely ridiculous looking grin on her face staring at Adrien.

He was looking at her.

 **He** was looking at her.

He was looking at **her**.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Aspiring fashion designer, baker's daughter, Queen of the clumsy, and complete social disaster when in the presence of one Adrien Agreste.

The lack of any kind of reply prompted the blond to grin at her awkwardly.

 _Oh no,_ Marinette thought in a panic. _H-how long has it been?! Reply! Reply! REPLY!_

"N-nice weather. A very pretty sun."

 _AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_

"Y-yeah. It's a uh, very sunny day." Adrien replied carefully. "So uh, you're okay then?"

Clamping her mouth shut in order to prevent from embarrassing herself further Marinette stiffly nodded.

"Oh, good." He smiled at her kindly as he gently patted her shoulder. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful from here on out."

It was then that Marinette noticed a small bandage on Adrien's left forefinger just as he began to draw his hand away from her.

Her hands moved on their own.

Taking his left hand with both of hers she suddenly asked, "What happened?"

Adrien flinched at the sudden movement, and for a moment, Marinette thought that she may have freaked him out.

"Ah uhh," the boy stammered. "I accidentally cut myself with a knife while eating breakfast this morning! I, uh, I was thinking about something and it just kind of slipped and uh… and…"

He finished with an awkward chuckle.

Biting her lower lip Marinette suddenly asked, her voice barely a whisper, "Is… Is something bothering you?"

The boy stared at her.

Feeling her face grow hot with a blush, Marinette took her hands away from his. "S-sorry… I-I shouldn't have done that…"

She felt his hand return to her shoulder.

"No, don't be. Thanks. I think I needed that. And don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Turning around he began heading for the waiting car. "See you tomorrow Marinette."

"Y-yeah," she whispered raising her hand to wave good-bye. "See you tomorrow."

She stood there and watched the car drive him off.

Smiling, Marinette took a deep breath. She felt so refreshed somehow. Which was strange seeing how all her problems were exactly the same as they had been five minutes before.

The peacock miraculous was still a complete mystery. Paon Royale's motives were still unknown, and Marinette was still hesitant about what she needed to do.

She had an idea. A very tempting and appealing idea. But it was risky. Dangerous even.

And she'd be acting without Chat Noir. Unless he showed up on his own that was.

"I saw that~"

Marinette's heart nearly flew out of her throat as she jumped and flailed her arms in surprise.

Alya laughed at her friends over the top reaction. "Chillax girl, it's just me."

After taking several deep breaths to calm her pounding heart, Marinette glared at Alya. "Don't scare me like that!"

Raising her hands in mock defense Alya simply replied, "Sorry sorry. But it's not my fault you were so preoccupied with your crush that you didn't notice me here."

"R-right. Sorry." Marinette gave a sheepish giggle at her outburst.

Elbowing Mari in the ribs, Alya leaned in and asked, "So?"

"So? So what?"

"What did you two talk about? Please tell me you didn't say 'Oh look the sky is blue today again' like last time."

Offended by her best friend bringing up such an embarrassing occurrence, Marinette huffed, "Of course not!" and then deflated. "I talked about how pretty the sun was."

At that Alya could no longer hold it in. The amateur reporter burst out into a fit of laughter.

"I-It's not funny!" Crossing her arms, the raven-haired girl looked in every direction but her friend.

"Haha, O-Okay girl. Okay." Alya soothed as she calmed down. "But hey, at least you managed to say something to him this time. That's progress right?"

"I guess so…"

Shaking her head at her friend's quiet look of happiness Alya breached the subject, "Marinette are you alright?"

Marinette sighed. "Why is everybody asking me that today?"

"Because you aren't acting normal! For the past few days, you've been more flaky than usual."

"Yes, I know I've been a bit more clumsy lately but-"

"Not just that! You barely notice when people are talking to you, you're forgetting everything a lot more often (even that little purse you ALWAYS remember), and lately whenever you think no one is looking you stare off into space with this serious look on your face!" Grabbing her friend by the shoulders Alya looked into her friend's blue eyes. "Listen. We're friends right?"

"Of course, we are!"

"Then you can tell me when something bothering you! Look, it's cool if you don't wanna talk about it. But don't keep these things bottled up. It's not good for you. Is it something you can't talk to your parents about?"

It really wasn't.

For one, she would first have to explain the whole Ladybug thing, and then she'd have to convince her parents that it was a-okay for her to run around Paris at night with a prepubescent boy in a cat suit. The fact that she couldn't tell them who Chat actually WAS probably wouldn't help matters.

It wasn't that she worried that her parents wouldn't understand the stakes involved or the importance of her role as Ladybug. But she was their _daughter_. Any parent worth their salt wouldn't enjoy the idea of their child heading out and risking their life to fight evil.

And then, of course, there was Chat.

Marinette honestly had no clue how their parents would react to _him_. When they had faced off against Animan they had all been pleasant with one another. But that had been under the professional role of superheroes as well as without her parent's knowledge that Ladybug was their daughter.

Chat was a pleasant and friendly person. But as far as her parents knew he was a stranger. If her family ever did discover her secret identity, and they somehow came to accept it her partner would still be a stumbling block. Both her mom and dad would insist on being properly introduced and getting to know him. And that would just be one huge spiral of embarrassment and confusion.

Then there was the danger.

If her parents knew she was Ladybug they could be targeted by Hawkmoth. Right now they were just the cute couple who ran the local bakery. But if they found out…

No, her parents couldn't know. For their own sakes.

And of course, Alya couldn't know either.

"It's _nothing_ , really." Marinette was exasperated. All these lies made her stomach churn. She hated lying. But it was necessary.

"I'm just… not sleeping well." It wasn't a complete lie.

"Are you having bad dreams or something?"

"It's not that. I'm…" she bit her lip. "Working on something."

Alya blinked.

It wasn't a lie per se. Marinette had been wanting to start a new project for awhile, and she took all the time she could between heroics, school work, and daily responsibilities to work on it. And sometimes she would lose track of time and end up going to bed late.

"A secret project?" her best friend asked.

"Yes."

"One you can't tell even me about?"

"M-Maybe?" Marinette grinned sheepishly at her.

The project she was working on now was just a skirt. NOT something she would keep from Alya. But if push came to shove she'd try to find some design she could claim she was making for Alya as a gift.

Her stomach churned uncomfortably.

"Well alright." Alya didn't sound entirely convinced. "If you say so. But when you're finished, I wanna be the first one to see it."

"Of course."

With that, the two best friends parted.

* * *

Marinette collapsed on her Chaise in exasperation.

She was up to her ears in lies.

She had to lie to her parents, her friends, her teachers, and as much as she trusted him, she even had to lie to Chat. Marinette HATED lying.

Tikki zipped out of her bag and up to her cheek.

"Marinette?" When no response came she repeated herself. "Marinette? Are you okay?"

"I'm just… so tired Tikki." Rolling over onto her back Marinette stared at the ceiling of her room forlornly. "I'm tired of secrets and lies. Outside of you, there's no one I can talk to."

Tikki flew forward and comforted her young charge as best she could.

It was a heavy burden she had been given to carry. And most days she carried it wonderfully. But at times, the weight became too much for the young girl, and she would end up like this.

The stress of trying to decide what to do about Paon Royale had likely been what had brought on this new bout of stress. It had affected her to the point that it had drawn the attention of the people around her. Which only made things even more stressful.

"Maybe you should take a nap Marinette." The kwami suggested. "It'll make you feel better."

With a grunt, the girl pushed herself up and shook her head. "I can't. I have homework. And if I'm going to go out tonight…"

"Going out?" Tikki asked. "What do you mean? You and Chat Noir don't have patrol tonight!"

"Ah, right." Marinette demurred. "I, uh, forgot to tell you."

The kwami looked at her charge awaiting an explanation.

"I've been thinking a lot these past few days. About how to deal with the peacock, I mean."

Tikki nodded. It wasn't like she hadn't been paying attention.

"I can't just leave things as they are. There's no telling what might happen."

"I think Paon Royale wants to get close to you, though. So there'd be no reason for him to look for you."

"That's just it Tikki." Marinette's voice was sharp. "He didn't try to get close to me. He tried to get close to Chat."

"Ah," the little bugs eyes widened with realizations, and a little grin came to her lips. "So _that's_ what this is about~"

The girl ignored the hint in her kwami's eyes. "That silly cat doesn't think that I know about how he goes running around Paris on his own. But I've seen him. I don't know why he does it, whether it's a rare show of responsibility on his part or if he's just out to enjoy himself."

Tikki had an idea it was the latter but didn't say so. Plagg had a bad habit of giving in to the desires of his chosen.

"The point is, if he's out by himself and Paon gets him alone... I don't want that to happen. So I can't just leave things as they are without _doing_ anything."

At this point, the raven head had gotten up and begun pacing.

"At first, I thought it'd be a good idea to do research. But then I remembered that that would get me nowhere."

"There's the book of Miraculous." Tikki put in.

"I plan to look at that eventually," she admitted. "But for one I can't read the darn thing on my own, and for another, all it will tell me about are the abilities of the peacock miraculous. Which doesn't help us much if we don't KNOW whether he actually has it or not."

"So, what is it you plan to do?" The kwami had an excellent idea of where Marinette was going with this, but she wanted to hear it from the girls own mouth.

Marinette stopped pacing for a moment and looked out one of the windows to her room. Out at the endless expanse of rooftops and the sheer stretch of distance that Paris covered.

This wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm going to find him," she admitted. "I'm going to find him, hunt him down, corner him. And then… then I don't know what I'll do."

"This is a dangerous idea Marinette."

"I know." her voice had fallen and become just a little unsure. "But I need to get close enough to him so that you can sense whether he's really got the peacock miraculous, if he's an akuma, or if he's just some psycho in a bird suit. If we can figure that out, then we can decide how to deal with him."

Tikki sighed. Marinette was right. She knew she was right. But still.

"I think you should take Chat Noir with you. It's dangerous to go alone."

"Chat and I don't have patrol together for another two days!" she argued. "I've already wasted three days trying to decide what to do. I don't wanna spend another two teetering on my nerves because I'm expecting something horrible to happen any minute! Besides, if that cat is as flighty as I think he is, there's a good chance he'll probably be out and about tonight anyway."

"But you don't know that Marinette!" Tikki was running out of excuses. Mari was a brave girl, even if she didn't always believe it herself. It was one of the reasons she was chosen to hold a miraculous after all. And from personal experience, the kwami knew that it really was better to act now before any damage could be done.

But that was no excuse to act recklessly.

Looking into the bluebell eyes of the girl who had been chosen to be Ladybug, Tikki knew that there was no winning this argument. Marinette had made her decision, and there was not a strong enough argument the kwami could raise that would convince her to change her mind.

Especially since Tikki herself actually agree with most of her logic.

Giving a resigned sigh the red bug only said, "Just promise me something okay? If anything goes wrong you run. Get out of his range, contact chat, find a hiding spot, destransform, ANYTHING but fight him directly on your own. It'll be bad enough if he's an akuma, but if he really has Quinn's miraculous and is a real holder then you might not be able to beat him by yourself."

Marinette slowly nodded. "I know Tikki. Volpina taught me that. Loud and clear."

And with that the girl silently began to work on her schoolwork as the kwami sat by, waiting for the sun to set so that Ladybug could take to the night.

* * *

 _Okay Gabriel you can do this._

Paon Royale had taken to the rooftops of Paris. It wasn't nearly as glorious of a night as the last time, however.

The lights of the city were as bright as they always were, but above their heads, an overcast of clouds had blotted out the moon as well as what few stars could be seen. This made certain areas of the city much darker and foreboding and it made gliding from rooftop to rooftop all the more difficult.

If Chat Noir proved to be inactive this night, Royale was going to be very put out. Not that he was looking forward to the second confrontation. Now that he knew that Chat Noir was a petulant child it made dealing with all of this much much harder.

Quinn had, of course, not understood at all.

" _I don't see what the problem is. I mean you HAVE a kid, just pretend you're talking to him."_

" _Adrien is different. He's my son. Speaking to him is completely different to speaking to some other child."_

" _Yeah," Quinn had muttered. "I bet he is."_

The insubordination in the kwami's voice had not gone unnoticed by Gabriel, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

It had been easy enough to approach him the first time around when he was under the assumption that the boy was actually in his early twenties. Now that he knew the truth, however, that left a whole slew of problems.

Teenagers were, he knew, filled to the brim with hormones. They were emotional, immature at times, and could be extremely unpleasant to deal with. One moment they could be perfectly happy with you and the next they were suddenly angry or upset over some small thing.

Chat Noir was, he supposed, not a terrible boy. Horribly insubordinate, but that was to be expected given the amount of power that had been, in his own summation, unjustly handed over to him. His age likely explained his naivety. Children weren't really well versed in the evils of day to day life.

And if Chat Noir was an unprofessional and naive child, then he could only imagine what Ladybug was like.

Perhaps a bossy, snobbish, little girl. Smart, sure, but he imagined a personality rather like Chloe Bourgeois. A thoroughly cunning girl, but entirely unpleasant.

His experience with children may have been limited, but he was sure it would suffice. After all one child was very much like another.

Overall, it had been a very good decision to approach Chat Noir first. If it had been Ladybug, he was almost positive that the whole meeting would have ended in disaster.

Stopping at the edge of a roof, Royale scanned the rows of rooftops.

If Chat Noir was out tonight, it would be impossible to catch a glimpse of him in this dark. He decided that if he couldn't find him within the next hour he would retreat and try again another night.

He wasn't looking forward to the days that lay before him. When he had signed up for this job he hadn't expected that he would have to babysit two immature children.

No, he was not looking forward to the things he would have to put up with.

As he stared down at the street light he heard a thump as someone landed on the roof behind him.

Smiling to himself he began to turn around, "Why good evening Cha-"

 _-t Noir?_

His voice quite simply died.

The clouds parted momentarily, exposing the moonlight, and momentarily illuminating the roof.

Standing on a chimney above him, staring down at him with piercing eyes, was Ladybug.

And she did not seem happy to see him.

* * *

The peacock has unexpectedly been confronted by the Ladybug.

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER

* * *

((HOho the expected confrontation between Paon Royale and Ladybug is finally here!

How will the peacock approach THIS unexpected confrontation?

You can help decide if you vote on the poll on my profile. ))


	7. The Ladybug and The Peacock

**Winner: Option B "Let Ladybug Initiate Conversation"**

* * *

To say that Royale's plans were shot to hell would be an understatement.

He had specifically avoided heading out on nights when the two heroes planned to go out on patrol together in order to minimize his chances of running into Ladybug. Their next patrol wasn't scheduled for another two days.

(Paon had most definitely NOT gotten this information by eavesdropping on two teenagers as they had a private talk.)

And yet here was Ladybug. Two days before she was supposed to go out on patrol with Chat Noir. Staring down at him, in the same way, a hawk stared down at a bug.

He didn't want to admit it, but for just a moment he was intimidated.

Then he remembered that he was looking up at a short, slim, lightweight teenage girl. One he was likely two whole heads taller than, and he recomposed himself.

Taking on a stance of professionalism he watched as Ladybug hopped down from the chimney she had been standing on and approached him. Every part of her was alert and focused. Her eyes did not move from him.

He noted that she did not come right up to him in the same way Chat Noir had. She remained at a distance that was just out of reach, but not so far that he couldn't read the look of unease on her face.

 _She's being careful._ Paon thought. _Clever girl._

Royale made the decision to not initiate conversation. Her sudden appearance had thrown all of his plans into disarray. And now he was on the defensive. Allowing Ladybug to begin, and play off of what she said was his only choice.

Finally, she spoke.

Her voice was confident and strong. Not authoritative, but the peacock could easily imagine her taking on such a tone in a heartbeat.

"So," she began. "You're Paon Royale?"

Despite being on edge, he managed to force a polite smile.

"At your service my lady." He tipped his hat and gave a short regal bow.

"Don't call me that," Ladybug warned taking a step forward. "Only Chat Noir can call me that."

"Ah, I see. My apologies. In that case, what may I call you by? Mademoiselle? Madame?" he paused. "Princess?"

"Ladybug." the name was nearly spat. She took another small step towards him.

The casual familiarity that had been so receptive to Chat Noir did not appear to work on the heroine. In fact, she seemed to take the nicknames offensively.

"Enough pleasantries. What do you want?"

Straight to the point. Oh, this _was_ going to be hard.

"Pardon?" he could only play dumb. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean my la- I mean Ladybug."

"Don't dodge the subject. You could have approached Chat Noir and me at anytime you wanted, but you chose to wait until we were separated. I want to know why, what you want, and-" her eyes darted over him, looking for something. Moving closer her set of blue eyes settled on his neck where the peacock pin rested. "-where you got that miraculous."

Gabriel felt his chest tighten.

The sternness of voice, the way she cut straight to the point, how she didn't allow him a moment to gain any ground.

It was just like…

Her.

The sudden wave of familiarity stunned him, rendering him speechless.

Quickly he realized that he had hesitated to answer. He'd been caught off guard and then stunned. What little advantage he had was quickly being lost.

"I-I," he stammered. Damn it. "I found it."

It was the truth, but the careless stutter had clearly given Ladybug a different impression.

"Oh?" she didn't sound convinced. "You don't say? Where exactly did you _find_ it?"

He was not ready to have this conversation.

So he deflected the question with another question.

"Where did you get _yours_?"

Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not pleased with his response.

"I didn't _steal_ it if that's what you're trying to say."

"Nor did I." Paon let himself smile. "And of course, that is not what I meant to imply."

Ladybug was nearly upon him now.

She had been moving closer and closer to him all throughout their conversation. Her nerves seemed to become even more alert the closer she came. Almost as though she expected him to attack at any minute.

Now, what was she up to? Testing her boundaries? Seeing if he became a threat the closer she came?

It was true that she could not tell whether he was an enemy or not. But as far as that went, Royale couldn't help but feel she was being rather stupid about it. At any moment, he may whip out his weapon and strike her. Approaching him this way seemed, to him, reckless.

Ladybug could have tested his motives a million other ways. She could have stood back and observed him, continued to question him, or she could even have waited for an akuma attack and pushed him into joining the fight.

Then it was a simple matter of tracking his actions. How far did he go in the fight? How much help would he provide? How willing was he to stand aside and let her and her partner be attacked?

Of course, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

Even if she did remind him of his wife, she was still a child. Confident, clever, and smart.

At least for her age.

By now the superheroine was standing in front of him. She glared at him with cold blue eyes.

"Listen," her voice was harsh and even a bit intimidating. "Because I only intend to say this once."

He looked down at the girl standing before him. Really, she was quite short compared to him. She only really seemed to come up to his chest.

And yet despite how small she was, her age, and her clear reckless inexperience Ladybug somehow managed to be intimidating.

Perhaps it was the icy coldness in her eyes, the sharpness of her features, or even simply the tone of her voice. But somehow the short, slim, girl had managed to impress upon him a feeling of being threatened.

"I don't care who you are, where you're from, or even what you want. If you're a threat to this city and it's people I will take you out."

"Is that a threat?" he asked cautiously.

"It's a promise."

With that, she began to retreat backward. Her eyes not removing themselves from the peacocks face. Once she had moved a good few meters from him she turned, yoyo in hand, ready to zip off into the night.

Not content to let the girl take off with the last word, Royale thought of one last thing to say.

"And your partner?"

She froze.

"Does he share your feelings on the subject? He isn't here with you so I must assume that this is your opinion, not his." He closed his eyes and shook his head with a shrug. "Not that it matters. I'll get his opinion on my position soon enough."

As he once again looked up at the superheroine he felt his blood suddenly run cold.

She had turned to him. The light of the moon combined with the artificial lights of the city seemed to make her eyes glow a cold blue. Her face wasn't contorted into any expression of anger. It was just as cold as her eyes. And somehow that made the whole thing all the more terrifying.

Because when she spoke, her even voice being carried over on the wind, it carried with it a conviction that far surpassed the threat she had only just delivered.

"If you go anywhere near Chat. If you hurt him. I'll make you regret it. Do you understand? You'll regret it."

And with that, she leapt from the roof and disappeared into the night leaving a stunned bird standing on the roof behind her.

* * *

Marinette deliberately took a long way home.

Paranoia pumped through her veins as she frequently looked over her shoulder. Every time she did so she half expected to see the Royal Peacock following her in the shadows, his blue eyes flashing in the dark.

As a result, she didn't arrive home until well into the wee hours of the morning. The sun would rise in just two hours, and she'd be expected to be at school just two hours after that.

A part of her just wanted to fall through her skylight onto her bed and pass out from exhaustion. But another, more determined, part of her knew that she wouldn't be able to get any kind of real sleep until she got some answers.

So once she was in the private safety of her own bedroom and her transformation disappeared, Marinette got straight to business. Getting Tikki a cookie from her stash, she sat down at her desk, and waited for the kwami to finish replenishing some of her energy from the long night of bird she waited, Marinette's knee twitched and her fingers drummed against the table in anxiety.

The second her kwami finished the cookie she immediately dove into the subject lingering over both their heads, "Well, Tikki? What about it? I-Is it… y'know… real?"

Tikki paused for just a moment. But to Marinette, it felt like an eternity.

Finally, the little bug nodded. "I could feel Quinn. The peacock miraculous is real."

Letting go of a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Marinette felt an odd feeling of relief wash over her. She knew now. She still didn't know quite what to do about it, but she was sure now. And at least that took some of the weight off of her mind.

"I see." was all she said in reply.

They both sat in silence for some minutes. Only the occasional sounds of Parisian early morning life coming between them. Which was alright for Marinette. Her tired mind needed some time to focus.

She had succeeded in getting close enough to the man so that Tikki could determine that his miraculous was real. But at the same time she had also gotten a good look at the person.

His costume had been rather funny looking, but considering Marinette ran around in red and black polka dotted jumpsuit she didn't really have a right to judge the other's fashion sense.

He had also been large. Not big, like her father, but tall. Paon towered over both her and Chat Noir, and likely most of the people Marinette knew. He wasn't a giant, but she made a point to remember that height.

His eyes had been blue, like her own, but not quite the same shade. There was also a craftiness in his gaze. The whole time they were together Marinette was sure he'd been thinking. The only exception had been when he had suddenly fallen silent when she asked him where he had gotten his miraculous.

Whether that meant he was lying or not, Marinette couldn't tell. But she wasn't willing to just dismiss that expression he had made. It had looked so strange.

Knitting her brow and closing her eyes she did her best to try and place the expression. Eye's wide and face sullen. The feeling had caught him off guard, and that might explain why he had stuttered afterward. But what had that feeling been?

He'd looked kind of sad. And just a little lonely. He had looked…

Forlorn?

But what did he have to feel so forlorn about?

Shaking her head, Mari moved on with her thoughts.

He had tried to butter her up by being buddy-buddy. And for some reason, that pissed the girl off in a way nothing else had. He'd called her things that only Chat Noir was allowed to call her. It didn't feel right to have this stranger treating her with the same familiarity that her partner did.

At least she had left him knowing that she wouldn't be taken in as easily as Chat. She meant what she had said to him. If Paon Royale proved to be just another hero, well, that was alright. But if he posed any kind of threat to Paris, it's people, or to her and her partner, she would gear all of her efforts to making sure he was taken out.

Chat Noir might not agree with her at first, but if she could prove she was right she was sure he would come around quickly. The cat loved Paris just as much as she did, so if Royale did turn out to be a threat she had no doubt her partner would be on board with beating him.

"Marinette?" Tikki was looking up at her with bit concerned eyes. "You should get some sleep. You still have school tomorrow, or rather, today."

Reminded of her tiredness, Marinette could no longer stifle a tired yawn.

"You're right Tikki. I'll try to take a quick nap."

Too tired to climb up the steps to her bed, the girl satisfied herself with lying down on her Chaise and closing her eyes. She had done all she could for the moment. For now, she just needed to rest and push herself through the next day.

The last thing Paris needed was an exhausted superhero in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

* * *

Gabriel didn't wait for his transformation to fully disappear before he sank into his chair. Pulling off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose he reflected on the disastrous results of the night.

Quinn landed in the bowl of sunflower seeds looking just as exhausted as his user.

Sadly, and much to Gabriel's irritations, the kwami's tired state did not stifle his tongue. "Well you certainly made a mess out of things, didn't you?"

Glaring at the tiny creature Gabriel defended himself, "I was caught off guard. I had no time to prepare, and besides that," he leaned back in his seat, "that girl seems to have it out for me."

"She feels threatened by you," Quinn explained. "And you didn't do much to stifle those fears."

"I don't see what I could have done. She had clearly already decided I was a threat to her authority."

"Threat to her authority?" Quinn laughed. "Is that what you think?"

Growling Gabriel replied, "Naturally. I approached her partner instead of her. Between the two of them, she appears to be the one in charge. And when I made mention of Chat Noir, I could have sworn she wanted to rip my throat out!"

"And you think this is because she's afraid you'll take her place as 'the one in charge'?"

"Of course."

The kwami groaned. "OR she may be afraid that you're an enemy and that you intend to get to her through the boy. She didn't act at all with indignation. All of her actions were cautious and warning. You let yourself be caught off guard, and acted defensively when you should have been soothing. WORSE you mentioned Chat Noir, which Ladybug probably only saw as confirmation that you were targeting him. Instead of trying to get the upper hand you should have done everything in your power to show you weren't a threat!"

Gabriel's face was getting red at this ceaseless wave of criticism.

"Listen bub, remind me again, what's your goal here?"

"It is to get information, but I do not-"

"But nothing! You're supposed to be trying to get along with Ladybug and Chat Noir so that they'll trust you enough to either give you the information you need or help you find it. And that's never going to happen if you try to impose yourself on them!"

"You expect me to take a backseat to two… two children?!" Gabriel was on his feet, slamming both his hands on the desk.

The little peacock wasn't intimidated.

"In a word? YES." he carried on, not letting the man form a rebuttal. "You're not going to get anywhere until you abandon this silly prejudice you have against those two for being teenagers. They were chosen to wield their miraculous. You weren't. As far as I'm concerned that's more than enough credence to their character and capability. If you can't accept that, you might as well take off the pin right now and let me go back to sleep. Because otherwise you're just wasting both our times."

Gabriel growled and straightened himself. "You are impossible."

"The feelings mutual."

"Ladybug is a reckless girl. If she genuinely views me as an enemy, then why did she come so close to me? If your theory is correct then that was an unbelievably reckless action to take and I am correct in my summation of her childishness, but if my theory is correct then her actions can be explained by her impressing her own authority onto mine. Either way, she is clearly not as capable as you seem to believe she is."

"She got close to you?"

"Yes."

"How close?"

"Very close. To the point that she was a mere few inches from me."

Quinn narrowed his eyes for a moment in thought before they widened in realization.

"That… clever girl." the kwami muttered.

Despite himself, Gabriel was surprised by this statement. "What do you mean? Clever how?"

"She made it seem so natural that neither of us noticed what she was actually trying to do."

"Which is?"

Floating up to look his user in the eyes Quinn said, "Ladybug didn't come out to find you to assert her authority or to threaten you. Though I rather suspect either of those may have been secondary motivations. She had a different motive."

"And that is?" Gabriel was beginning to grow irritated with how long the little peacock was taking to get to the central point.

"Well to be perfectly frank." he shrugged. "She was making sure you were the real deal."

Raising his eyebrow Gabriel asked in a short tempered tone, "The real deal?"

"A real miraculous holder." Quinn explained. "She was getting close so that her kwami could try and sense my energy. Really it makes sense. You already told me about that akuma who had masqueraded as a superhero. After that ordeal, Ladybug likely wanted to see if you were the real deal or another akuma sent out to trick her. Really it's kind of obvious I'm surprised it didn't occur to me right away-"

"Wait." Gabriel raised his hand as he interrupted Quinn's musings. "Just, stop for a moment."

Quinn fell silent and looked at Gabriel curiously.

Taking a deep breath the man asked, "Kwami can sense each other?"

"Well yeah."

"And you've known this… the whole time."

"Naturally."

"When exactly were you planning on telling me this?!" Gabriel demanded.

"Calm down it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?!" he repeated with a snarl. "What are you going to do if one of them takes advantage of this ability to find out where you are?! It could lead enemies right to us!"

"It doesn't work like that Gabriel!" Quinn looked about ready to whack the other man's nose. "We can only sense one another when we use our powers. In other words when a user puts on the miraculous and transforms. That's why Ladybug had to transform herself and hunt you down! It doesn't work like a GPS, it's more like an awareness. We're aware when other miraculous are active, but we can't tell who has it or where they are at any one time. That's why this hawkmoth character has to create akuma to draw Ladybug and Chat Noir out! And that's why Ladybug had to approach you in order to figure out if you were a genuine miraculous holder. With both herself, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoths miraculous currently active, it's likely that you activating the peacock pin was drowned out so her kwami couldn't say off the top of her head whether I was active or not!"

With a huff, Quinn landed back into his bowl of sunflower seeds.

Collapsing into his chair Gabriel once again allowed himself to become absorbed in thought.

Rolling his eyes at his user, Quinn began angrily nibbling on a stubborn seed imagining that it was Gabriel's big stupid head.

* * *

Whew! That was tense!

Doesn't look like Ladybug and Paon Royale are getting off on the right foot.

Next week, we'll check in with our favorite cat and pretty boy; Adrien Agreste.

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER HAS ENDED

* * *

 _(( Just to reconfirm, I am not accepting votes through reviews anymore. You must vote on the poll on my profile page or vote on the chapter on AO3 in order for your vote to be cast. If neither of these options are open to you, I also take votes on my tumblr account. at .com_

 _Sorry for the lateness of this chapter! I've been busy in my day to day life. That combined with my own innate laziness has led to this late chapter.))_


	8. Bonus Chapter: Quinn and Nooroo

_Sorry about not giving you guys an update this week. I'm afraid that the new chapter isn't quite finished yet. But instead have this bonus chapter written by Ushiokaze on tumblr._

 _You can find their blog here:_

 _ushiokaze . tumblr. com_

* * *

It only took Quinn a week to realize who exactly was behind the attacks on Paris, thinking back on it should have been obvious. He just didn't want to accept the fact that Nooroo was involved in this.

Hawkmoth held a special place of anger in Quinn's heart and he would see to it that the villain would get what he deserved. Justice or a worthy cause had nothing to do with this, it was a personal vendetta.

To imagine that this has been going on for at least a year. Nooroo-the small butterfly who couldn't resist who held his miraculous-was forced into this for that long. All the while nothing was being done by his supposed partner.

Quinn attempted to focus his anger on something else. A seed should do the trick.

Quinn and Nooroo had worked together for countless centuries. Each time their users took on a different name-but no matter what it always seemed the same. At some point they would find out each others' identities and actually spend time together as civilians. Their holders would work out plans, have more ways to contact each other, and one time he remembered the pair actually got married.

Quinn would have plenty of time to spend with Nooroo at that point. Normally they would engage in the conversation between their users, providing insight that could only be obtained through long life. Then there were occasions when Quinn and Nooroo were left to their own devices.

It was at that point that Quinn got his first impression of Nooroo.

He was very knowledgeable in the other miraculous and their kwami. All someone would have to do was ask any question and he would answer it and that was the root of the whole problem.

Nooroo would constantly be spouting information like some weird fountain, prompting Quinn to think that Nooroo was a show off. This was when they were still quite young, so an accurate opinion had yet to be made.

Once he had seen how Nooroo acted in different situations-against villains, with their current users, by themselves, the moments where he thought he was alone-he was able to form a second impression. He would never admit it to most people, but this second impression only gave him cause to worry.

Nooroo was too trusting of everyone. In his mind he held a clean, white slate for every person he ever met, letting that individual blacken it as they pleased. He had a philosophy of giving knowledge and always letting everyone have access to that knowledge at any given time.

Only when someone had blackened their slate enough did Nooroo quiet down, refusing to share anything new. As most people know, it is hard to paint over black.

Quinn knew well how Nooroo felt at this moment, even when he wasn't providing power to Hawkmoth. Nooroo was likely sulking, probably had been since day one.

He was forced to see what his trust and his knowledge had done to Paris, swearing for the hundredth time to be less trusting of others. That was a lie, even if Nooroo didn't realize it. Time would have him shift back to his usual idealist nature.

The idea of Nooroo watching all the battles between the akumas and the other miraculous users only made Quinn even more angry. Hawkmoth was forcing this on his kwami, with no consideration for his feelings. Not only that, but now that Gabriel was using his own miraculous, Nooroo would be forced to watch his old partner get injured by the Akuma as well.

It was enough for Quinn to think about asking a favor of Gabriel for the first time. To not use his miraculous in Nooroo's view-which would mean not using it alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir, and most likely end up not using it at all.

Of course he wouldn't actually do this. Quinn felt the need to show Nooroo that he wasn't alone. Besides, he didn't want to go asking Gabriel for any favors. Quinn wouldn't let someone else sort it out for him while he waited on the sidelines when he had the option to do something himself.

Thinking about this, it made Quinn realize that it may be the reason he wanted Gabriel to try and work things out with Adrien. Judging from the interactions between the two, Quinn could tell that Adrien had similar impressions of his father as his own first impressions of Nooroo. By overcoming that first impression he and Nooroo had become an incredible team.

If father and son could get past their false impressions about one another, maybe they would turn out much the same way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Winner: Option C "Try to find out more"**

* * *

Adrien chewed on the end of his pen in frustration.

Apparently looking up "magic peacock jewelry" on Google image search WASN'T the best way to get information on the peacock miraculous.

He supposed he really should have known better, but as far as resources went the Internet was his only option. It wasn't like there was a museum dedicated to ancient magical artifacts that bestowed super powers onto the holders, a learned expert who gave talks at universities about where superheroes got their powers or a giant archive of every little trinket that may have been used by villains.

There WAS a book on the miraculous.

Adrien knew that.

But of course, he had somehow managed to lose it. Leave it him to stumble across a book on the miraculous stones in his own house only to misplace the darn thing within twenty-four hours.

 _Good on you Agreste. You're really reliable with records of ancient magic._

His mind flew back to the book he had found in his father's hidden safe. It was filled with illustrations that he had recognized as himself, Ladybug, and even one he assumed to be Hawkmoth (hard to tell when you only saw the guy's face as a mass of swarming black butterflies).

Those illustrations were all he had to go on considering he couldn't read the language to save his life. His knowledge of the Chinese language helped him tell that it was some kind of eastern language, but not one Adrien himself could identify or read. But what little he could glean from the pictures had been interesting, to say the least.

The picture he had found of Volpina in the book had been particularly illuminating. It was there right alongside Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Hawkmoth who were all three miraculous holders. So that meant Volpina was a miraculous holder too right?

Lila hadn't been the real deal, but that didn't mean there wasn't a fox miraculous somewhere out there. For that matter, there was no telling just how many miraculous there were.

He hadn't gotten to check out anything beyond the four figures in the book before it disappeared from his bag.

Despite the fact that it had been months since he had misplaced it, Adrien still made it a point to discreetly scan the bookshelves in the school for the familiar large brown binding. Hoping to one day find it tucked into some corner of a bookcase where some random student or teacher had stuffed it in their hurry to clean up.

Or, he imagined, he might find it at the bottom of the lost and found box one of these days when he volunteered to help Marinette find something she had lost (poor Marinette was always forgetting and losing things).

As of yet, though, he had yet to find the book anywhere.

Adrien had spent the days after the books disappearance in a state of nerves. He expected his father to burst into a rage upon finding the book gone at any moment. And since there were only four consistent residents in the big house it likely wouldn't take long for his father to piece together who did it. Or worse he'd blame the wrong person, and Adrien would have to watch as Nathalie or the Gorilla's career went down the toilet. All because their employer's stupid son had listened to a mischievous miniature cat, and stole from his father's private safe.

But nothing happened.

He never heard his father yell at anyone, he seemed strained sure, but he never drew attention to the break in. A part of Adrien feared that his father knew it was he who had taken it and was just waiting for him to return the book on his own. Something he couldn't do since he had LOST it.

Why did his father even have the book? That was a question Adrien could not find an answer to. He had kept that safe behind his mother's picture an absolute secret. Adrien had lived in the house for years, and he had never even heard a secret safe mentioned.

And his lack of reaction was something he had trouble reconciling. His father wasn't the type of man to keep quiet about his displeasure. Being hard and critical had become his default setting over the years

None of it made any sense.

His father had a book on the miraculous, something he had no way of knowing about. He kept the book in a hidden safe that no one else in the house knew about. And worse when the book had disappeared his father had said nothing about it. Nothing.

There was no explanation for it all. It was so out of character for his father that he had trouble believing any of it was real.

Letting out a deep sigh, Adrien slid down until he lay splayed out over the chair.

And then, of course, there was Paon Royale, who seemed to have popped out of nowhere in an effort to make Adrien's life even more complicated than it already was. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like the man. Despite being a mysterious ne'er-do-well whose motivations were unknown, there was something about the other that made him… comfortable?

That probably wasn't the best way to put it but it was the only way he could think of describing it at the moment. It wasn't just that Paon had a funny sense of humor, and a fluid way of speaking. It was something else. Something Adrien couldn't put his finger on.

It was a familiar feeling. Something nostalgic, that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Groaning, he glanced over at Plagg who was sitting on the edge of the desk devouring a piece of Camembert whole.

Frowning Adrien couldn't help but voice his displeasure. "Can't you help me out with this at all?"

The kwami opened one eye to look at him but closed it again as he focused on the cheese again. "Aww, but this is all so boring. So there's some fussy old birdman, so what? None of my business."

"If his miraculous is really real, I'd think it would be your business."

For just a moment, the cat looked put out. But just as quickly he went back to his usual laissez-faire attitude.

He gave a bored yawn and simply said, "Meh, that kind of stuff doesn't really interest me."

Adrien looked at his kwami with displeasure. "When I was given the magic power of destruction I really should have known there'd be a catch. Namely, how unhelpful you are."

"You wound me," Plagg replied with one tiny hand over his chest overdramatically.

Letting out a deep sigh, Adrien focused back on his computer. So far he hadn't found out anything about the peacock miraculous. Though really he had nothing to go on.

He laid his head on the desk and tried to think everything through. The few miraculous he personally knew about all seemed to be based on animals. Volpina had the fox. Hawkmoth had butterflies, Ladybug had, well, _Ladybugs_ , and as for Adrien himself…

He smirked.

Before all this superheroing Adrien had never considered associating himself with black cats. But now he wondered why it had never occurred to him before.

He had always liked cats. Admired them really.

Cats had a way of asserting themselves in a way Adrien could never seem to manage. They didn't even need words. All a cat had to do was send you a look and you somehow knew they were telling you to leave them alone and to mind your own damn business.

It was only as Chat Noir that Adrien could get over his shyness and say exactly what he wanted to say and do the things he could never muster the nerve to do. As soon as he became Chat he felt as though he was a whole new person. Though really it was still him.

From time to time his shyness resurfaced while in costume, but that didn't really happen all that often.

Cautiously, Adrien glanced out the large windows of his bedroom at the setting sun. He bit his lip as he fought the temptation that was slowly growing in his mind.

He had promised Ladybug that he would be careful and avoid approaching or being approached by, Paon Royale. He took his promises to his Lady very seriously. She placed her faith in him and the last thing Adrien wanted was to let her down.

But the past few days had been insufferable.

He had to deal with his Chinese lessons, his piano, his fencing, school, modeling, friends, and _Plagg_. All the while worrying about the peacock miraculous, the book, and his dad. The stress had gotten to him so badly that he had actually managed to absentmindedly cut himself.

Typically when things got this bad, he would bribe his kwami with an extra box of Camembert and go out for a quick night on the town. It was an irresponsible use of his powers. He knew that better than anyone. But it was the most effective way he could find to deal with the stress.

Out of respect for Ladybug's wishes, he had done his best to remain under the radar by not going out as he usually would have done. Now it was finally the evening when he and his Lady had agreed to meet for their nightly patrol. He was expected to meet with her at the Eiffel Tower in just a few short hours.

 _Surely_ his Lady wouldn't fault him if he headed out early and took his time getting to their meeting place. After all, he would just be getting in some extra patrol time. And if there was an akuma attack, he'd be already transformed and ready for action!

 _That's not what she meant and you know it Agreste_. He mentally punished himself for trying to wriggle out of his promise.

Though really, he wasn't breaking his promise in the least.

He had promised Ladybug that he would avoid the stranger, and contact her if he ever approached Chat alone. She had never actually made him promise to not go out as Chat Noir when there wasn't an attack going on.

Finally, the temptation became too much for him.

Standing up he grabbed Plagg and headed for the window. "C'mon Plagg it's time to head out."

"It's three whole hours early!" the kwami complained.

"Well… we might as well get a head start." Adrien sheepishly grinned.

Plagg gave him a knowing look. "Four boxes of Camembert. The good stuff."

Frowning he replied, "Two boxes."

"Three."

Adrien pounced, "DEAL! Claw's out!"

* * *

Plagg wasn't stupid.

Being over five-thousand years old, he'd seen kingdoms and empires rise and fall. Dictatorships topple, democracies sprout, and more than his fair share of day to day drama. No one existed for as long as he had without picking up a few things along the way.

One of those things was knowing not to show your cards in the middle of the game. Not even to your partner. If you wanted to have any hope of winning the game you had to know when to lay your cards on the table. Whether you won the pot or had to fold was based solely on how well you played the game.

But for those who couldn't pick up on metaphors, Plagg would simply have said that you should never share all you know until it was necessary. Which was the case here.

The fact that Paon Royale was the real deal had become obvious the moment the bird man had approached Adrien. Quinn's power had been dripping from the other man like melted cheese. Plagg had gotten plenty of time to pick up on it and determine that the miraculous was real. But since his charge didn't seem to doubt the authenticity of the miraculous, Plagg didn't see why he should bother mentioning the fact.

Besides, the man hadn't attempted to harm Adrien in any way, and so long as he kept his mitts off the kid Plagg saw no reason to take action. Really, the sudden appearance of the peacock was almost funny. He could already imagine how Tikki must be freaking out about the whole thing. Especially since she wasn't on the spot like he had been.

Since both Adrien and Paon Royale had been transformed at the time and had taken their own sweet time talking to one another Plagg had zero doubts that the older man was using Quinn's power. But where exactly he had gotten that power, he couldn't say.

He doubted that the old man had been given his miraculous since the peacock had been lost some time ago. And it was unlikely the guardian had gotten his hands on it again in the year he had been with Adrien.

Paon Royale COULD have stolen it, but somehow Plagg thought that that was kind of jumping the ship. There certainly wasn't any evidence or indication that he had stolen it. Or at least he hoped he hadn't.

The kwami was hopeful that the miraculous had merely been stumbled upon in some old trash heap somewhere or picked up as a trinket at some local street market. The alternative carried with it implications that would make Plagg's job a lot harder.

It was at this time that Adrien had apparently decided it would be a lot of fun to try and make a particularly risky jump. The kwami surged his power out to ensure his cocksure charge didn't snap both his legs on impact.

 _Honestly, I can't let my guard down even for a second._ Plagg thought ruefully.

Being unable to communicate while transformed was easily one of the most frustrating things about doing his job. Especially since his current charge was a little _too_ into his role as a superhero.

He'd been irritated when, just after releasing him from the miraculous, Adrien hadn't let him finish his admittedly boring explanation and transformed immediately. Charging into the action like a cat who'd been in a crate for way too long (a description that Plagg later found to be extremely apt).

A lot of first time Chat Noir's had screwed up and screwed up big time. But as far as Plagg could remember none of them had wasted the almighty power of destruction on a _soccer net_ and then proceeded to nearly get themselves crushed by a giant rock man.

If Ladybug hadn't intervened when she did, Adrien would have been the Chat Noir who was active for the shortest amount of time. But thankfully, where his chosen failed, Tikki's could usually pick up the slack. So the kid didn't get popped like a grape on his first day.

After their first job together, Plagg learned more about his newest charge. Wasn't like there was much else to do at the time.

And honestly? Adrien had confused him.

Plagg had had his miraculous handled by young gung-ho kids before, and they had all been of a standard type. Usually, they were curious, ready to see the world from a new angle, and all set to go out and do some good in the world. But they were also tricksters and more often than not, troublemakers.

His charges had a habit of being people the world had stepped on, spit at, and left at the side of the road in a ditch somewhere to rot. They often led unhappy lives, and the kwami made it a point to try and use his powers to show them the world wasn't so bad and maybe even help them gain some real happiness along the way.

Greater good be damned, Plagg had his kittens to look after.

At first, Adrien had seemed like an exception. Whereas many former Chat Noir's had had lower-class lifestyles that formed their characters, Adrien was the son of a wealthy man. Hardly someone who suffered the intensity of poverty.

And it wasn't like he had any skills that were ignored, or that he lacked any kind of opportunity. Hell, the kid could speak at least two languages, play some stellar piano, and his athletic skills were surprisingly fierce for a young skinny kid.

Adrien was also an exceptionally good looking boy. The ladies had a habit of noticing him and not taking their eyes off him.

He also didn't have to deal with the responsibility of school or be left exposed to the elements. Adrien had anything he could ever need or want at his fingertips, and all he had to do was reach out and take it.

Plagg had known so many Chat Noir's who would have killed (most figuratively, some literally) for that kind of life. And it became quickly apparent that Adrien would have happily given it up to them.

All the kwami could think as the boy snuck out of his house, to go to school of all places, was just how strange this whole setup was. He couldn't help but think that the guardian had somehow made some kind of mistake.

Adrien wasn't a bad Chat Noir by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he had adapted to the role alarmingly quickly. But he was so unlike any other charges that Plagg had looked after that the kwami had begun to think that maybe, just maybe, there had been a mistake.

That maybe he was actually meant to go to some cleaning boy who worked in the Agreste mansion. A boy who was a lot more like his other Chat Noir's and who caused trouble in his spare time. And that through sheer chance, the rich bosses son had stumbled across it on accident. Really, though, that didn't seem likely.

From the outset, the boy's life just seemed so perfect that Plagg couldn't see why such a person would need him at all.

But he'd been proven wrong.

His newest charge didn't need to prove himself or be convinced that the world wasn't an awful place. Nor did he require the power to escape poverty or to right some great personal injustice.

Adrien needed Plagg because he was trapped.

The boy was smart, skilled, good-looking, and lived a life of luxury. But he had no agency of his own, rarely was allowed to make his own decisions, was so shy he couldn't stand up for himself, and was soul-crushingly lonely. So lonely that he had run away to school just to finally interact with children his own age.

Kids Adrien's age should be avoiding school at all cost. Setting out, causing trouble, making friends, and learning about life. Not sitting cooped up in some oversized birdcage while their parents decided their life for them.

At his age, the kid should have been off making stupid mistakes and learning from them. Gaining a backbone as he faced down adversity. And meeting people who would have his back for life.

But that wasn't the case.

Adrien's life was defined by order and control. There was no expression or freedom to be found there.

It was sad. Because Adrien was a good kid. A really good kid. One of the best Plagg had ever seen.

He handled the role that had been thrust upon him exceptionally well and dealt with an amount of pressure that had crushed plenty of adults before him. Really the boy was exceptional.

And that was why they were currently transformed, a whole three hours before the proper meeting time, hopping along the roofs of Paris like they were on a playful jog.

It wasn't what his powers were meant to be used for, Plagg knew that better than anyone. But as far as the cat kwami was concerned Adrien had earned the right to exploit his powers just a little bit. Previous miraculous holders, some of the best even, had exploited their powers in ways that were much more damaging than a quick joy ride around Paris.

Besides that, a bit of fresh air was good for the boy. His life at home was so constrained that anything that reminded him he had any kind of agency of his own was uplifting.

And Plagg got PLENTY of cheese out of the deal so it was win-win.

Before he knew it two hours had already ticked by, and Adrien was finally moving his leather clad butt to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with Ladybug.

 _About time_ , Plagg thought. _The sooner they get this little patrol over with the sooner I can get my hands on those three wonderful boxes of Camembert~ Hmmm_

Unfortunately, Plagg's cheese filled fantasies were cut short when he sensed a strong source of energy. Very strong, very near, and _very familiar._

"Ah," a familiar voice. "How pleasant to see you again, Chat Noir."

The kwami groaned.

It was going to be a loooong night.

* * *

Next weeks chapter is finally gonna resolve some things, so I want the content to be a surprise.

So we're gonna try a different kind of question this week! I wanna make this fic as enjoyable as possible for all of my readers. So I'd like to know what you'd like to see more of in the future.

VOTING FOR THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER

* * *

 _((It's late but chapter 8 is finally out!_

 _Now we're definitely gonna see a bit more action and maybe even a bit of drama next week. But I just wanted to use this opportunity to see what you all would like to see a lot more of in the future of this fic. This will have no right or wrong answer, I simply want to see a general idea of preferences when it comes overall tone))_


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